Ludger Will Kresnik
Ludger Will Kresnik is the protagonist of the JRPG Tales of Xillia 2. He is a silent protagonist whose choices and dialogue are chosen by the player throughout certain parts of the game. Background Ludger started out as a polite and well mannered young man who lived in an apartment with his cat Rollo and older brother Julius whom he viewed as something of a father figure. Originally wanting to become an agent fro the illustrious Spirius Corporation, Ludger failed the entrance exam and instead took up a job as a chef at the local train station. On his first day on the job, Ludger would meet two people who would grow to become his closest friends: Jude Mathis and Elle Mel Marta. But that also came along with Ludger getting entangled in a violent terrorist attack on an important Spirius official who happened to be boarding a train that day. Ludger, being far too nice for his own good, follows after the two complete strangers he had just met to help quell the Exodus attack. The entire event would end with the party getting caught up in a train crash and Ludger getting stuck with an enormous 20 Million Gald debt in medical fees. Not only that, but he would come into contact with rumors that it was his own brother that was responsible for the attack. Desperate to clear his own name and find his brother again, Ludger began a long RPG journey. Ludger is a kind and caring soul whose actions tend to get him into some unexpected trouble. The course of the journey would end up forcing him to destroy multiple Fractured Dimsenions in an effort to protect his own world. These are basically alternate dimensions that explore many different possible events and outcomes from the previous game. Because of this, Ludger technically has one of the highest kill counts of any character in fiction due to what would soon be his job of destroying alternate universes. Powers & Abilities * Weapon Swap: Ludger can instantly switch between his dual blades, twin pistols, and sledgehammer at any point in a battle. * Artes: An Arte is the name of any and all named special attacks in the Tales series. Expect a character to shout out the name of the attack at the top of his/her lungs whenever one is used. Being the main character, Ludger knows a metric ton of these moves, even more so because he has three weapons and an alternate form at his disposal. * Chromatus: A unique power possessed by the Kresnik family. A drastic transformation that encases Ludger in armor and provides an enormous boost to all of his attributes. In this form, Ludger's weapon turns into a sizable double bladed lance and in the time he is transformed, he does not have to worry about losing HP or TP. The act of transforming will send both Ludger and his foes into an alternate space for the duration of the transformation. Chromatus has 4 levels of power to it, with each one covering Ludger in more armor than before. * Level 1: '''Ludger's initial transformation. Allows him to access a number of unique artes unique to his Chromatus form. * '''Level 2: '''Ludger's hair turns completely white at this point and his powers are stronger than before. Allows Ludger access to his Mystic Arte, though using it will prematurely end the transformation. * '''Level 3: '''Once again, Ludger's power increases even further. * '''Level 4: '''Also known as a full Chromatus, this is Ludger's most powerful form. His entire body is encased in armor from head to toe and Ludger gains access to an even more devastating Mystic Arte. Dual Blade Artes * '''Demon Fang: '''The most common Arte in Tales history. Ludger swings his blade along the ground to produce a ground hugging shockwave as a projectile. * '''Doube Demon Fang: Ludger fires off two Demon Fangs. * Azure Edge: '''Unleashing the force of the wind, Ludger fires off a short ranged projectile from his blade. * '''Tiger Blade: '''Ludger slashes his foe up into the air and back to the ground in this two staged attack. * '''Whirling Assault: '''A seamless dance of sword strokes brings Ludger forward. * '''Swift Strike: '''Ludger dashes forward blades first. * '''Double Swift Strike: Ludger follows up a Swift Strike with another dash forward. * Falling Snow: '''Ludger phases through an enemy, delivering a single blow along the way. * '''Reverse Falling Snow: Activated after Falling Snow, Ludger phases back to his original position, sneaking in another hit along the way. * Falling Thunder: '''Ludger leaps into the air, twirling a blade around with the intent of bringing it down to the ground. * '''Lunar Reflection: '''A quick combo that forces foes towards Ludger. * '''Time Disintegration: '''A blindingly fast combo ending with a roundhouse kick that sends a foe off its feet. * '''Armor Crusher: '''A leaping cross slash that can easily break through a foes guard. * '''Energy Shackles: '''Ludger shoots out a slow moving orb of electricity that explodes shortly after. * '''Crimson Fury: '''Ludger wraps his blades in flames and spins into the air, bringing his target up alongside him. * '''Thousand Swords: '''Ludger rapidly thrusts his blades forward faster than the eye can track. * '''Hunting Phoenix: A darkness imbued combo consisting of a slash, kick, and flaming projectile. * Moonlight Assault: A blindingly fast combo ending with a dive kick from above. * Endless Waltz: A long and devastating combo that leaves temporary trails of light wherever Ludger swings his blades Twin Pistol Artes * Bubble Blast: '''Ludger shoots out a slow moving bubble from one of his guns that will home in on his enemy. * '''Stun Blitz: '''Ludger spins forward, firing off a few shots from his pistols. * '''Rolling Thunder: Ludger rolls to the side and fires off a pair of shots. * Crossfire: '''Ludger shoots out two streaming projectiles that home cross in on foes from a short distance. * '''Deadeye: '''Ludger rolls to the side and fires off a single shot. * '''Arc Fire: Ludger fires a number of shots at the ground in front of him, producing a wave of energy in the shape of an X. * Squall Shot: Ludger fires a shot into the air which rains down bullets on an unsuspecting foe moments later. * Zero Divide: A volley of four dark projectiles that pulls a foe towards Ludger. * Meteoric Waltz: Ludger shoots the ground to produce a magical glyph. Any foes that set foot on it are immediately struck by a stalagmite. * Scatter Bolt: Ludger shoots the ground in front of him to emit a short ranged spark of electricity along the ground. * Migrating Sparrows: Ludger fires off a volley of wind imbued fireballs that home in on foes. * Heatwave: Ludger fires off two fireballs that explode on contact with any surface. * Rapid Burst: Ludger keeps a foe stun locked by rapidly firing off one gun while charging up a blast from his other gun. * Blaze Bloom: A long combo of stylish shots topped off by an imaginary rose being shattered atop the target's body. * Wings of Destruction: Ludger fires off a group of mini tornadoes in multiple directions. * Requiem: Ludger leaps into the air and mercilessly opens fire on any targets below him with a long barrage of explosive shots. Hammer Artes * Psychic Restoration: '''Ludger slams the ground with the hilt of his hammer to surround himself with a magical circle that harms enemies and heals himself... However that works. * '''Power Swing: '''Ludger Swings his hammer in an upward arc, striking the ground along the way to create some damaging sparks. * '''Hammer Toss: '''Ludger wraps his hammer in flames and proceeds to toss the weapon like a boomerang. Can be charged for greater effect. * '''Swallow Flight: '''Ludger uses two upward swings to propel himself into the air... Because physics. * '''Outlander: '''A mighty horizontal swing of Ludger's hammer that can be charged for greater effect. * '''Mine Collapse: Ludger takes a mysterious flaming orb out of his pocket and bats it away with his hammer. It will explode on contact with an enemy or form a flaming circle if it hits the ground. The circle will explode on contact with an enemy. * Pow Hammer: Ludger swings his hammer onto a target's head, emitting a small group of sqeaky hammers on contact. * Crushing Blow: Ludger slams his hammer to the ground hard enough to emit a sizable shockwave. * Hungry Hunter: Ludger unleashes a burst of energy in front of him in the shape of a lion's head. * Hammer Flail: A hammer swing with a wide arc surrounding most of Ludger's body. * Earth Spike: Ludger strikes the ground with the hilt of his hammer, producing a large stalagmite that surroudn his body on contact. * Flame Tunnel: Ludger wraps his hammer in fire before unleashing a long devastating combo attack. * Wave Smasher: Ludger reels back to charge up a hammer swing ending with a small burst of energy. * Magical Destruction: Ludger unleashes a quick combo by spnning his hammer around to add in more hits. * Freezing Eruption: Ludger slams the ground and launches a volley of ground hugging ice spikes forward. Chromatus Artes * Grand Cleaver: '''This attack allows Ludger to follow up with his Mystic Arte. He throws his lance forward, creationg small explosions along the entire path. * '''Dark Projection: Ludger disappears for a moment and pops up above a foes head for a swift diving stab. * Azure Edge: A bigger, stronger version of Azure Edge that explodes on contact. * Zero Divide: Ludger spins his lance around to unleash volley of dark projectiles that home in on his target. * Falling Snow: This version of Falling Snow has a small shockwave follow Ludger along the entire dash. * Power Swing: Ludger swings his lance in an upward arc, striking the ground along the way to create a massive spark of energy. * Hexentia: Ludger slams the ground with his lance, creating several pillars of darkness around him. * Edge Crusher: ' * '''Apocalyptica: ' * 'Dual waltz: ' * '''Heatwave: Mystic Artes * Ritual of Destruction: '''Only available in Ludger's normal form. A devastating combo incorporating all of Ludger's weapons ending with an explosive barrage of red lasers. * '''Form Destroyer: '''Only available in Chromatus Levels 2 and 3. Ludger tosses a never ending series of energy lances at his target before charging forward to deliver an explosive stab of his own. The combo ends with Ludger throwing his own weapon at the target. He screams like a madman throughout the entire attack. * '''Eternal Waltz: Only available in Chromatus Level 4. Identical to Form Destoryer at first, though the attak ends with a brutal combo from the enraged Kresnik. The final strike is strong enough to crack the screen too. Equipment * Dual Blades: Ludger' initial weapons. They are Ludger's fastest weapons, allowing him to run faster and dish out quicker blows in succession. * Twin Pistols: '''Ludger's pistols specialize in attacking foes from afar and delivering a wide variety of elemental Artes. He can gain an ability to shoot them like machineguns if the attack button is held down. * '''Sledgehammer: Despite the size of this weapon, Ludger can still swing it around quite easily. It is easily Ludger's strongest weapon but its attacks are noticeably slower to compensate. * Pocket Watch: This is the item that grants Ludger access to his Chromatus transformation. * Lance: Ludger's Chromatus form wields a large double bladed lance in his right hand that he swings around with ease. Feats Strength * Ludger won in a duel against his older brother Julius Kresnik, who was not only responsible for teaching Ludger swordfighting, but destroying a record number of fractured dimensions. * Ludger fought and won in a battle against the rest of his party in the bad ending. All at once. That was an 8 on 1 fight. * Ludger fought and defeated a version of himself from an alternate future who was responsible for the same feat. Speed *Has dodged and blocked bullets. *Can keep up with Milla Maxwell, who can dodge artificial lightning. Skill * Ludger's Chromatus transformation is capable of interrupting the Great Spirit Chronos's ability to rewind time. * Ludger fought and defeated a version of himself from an alternate future who was responsible for the same feat. Weaknesses * Ludger's Artes rely on a limited pool of TP, though he can regain more by landing regular attacks or using items. * Ludger's Chromatus form will only last so long before he reverts to normal. Taking any sort of damage will reduce the time Ludger can spend in this form. * Hot Springs. * Ludger is obsessed with tomatoes and will always be sure to use them in his cooking. * Overuse of his chromatus will turn him into a Divergence Catalyst. While Elle had taken the burden when Elle leaves the group, Ludger takes on the burden. Trivia * Ludger's ringtone is Eternal Mind, a major battle them from an earlier game in the series: Tales of Eternia. * Ludger's Chromatus form is known as Corpse Shell in Japan. * Tales of Xillia 2's bad ending has a good number of parallels to the Conquest Ending of Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2, which came out a few years before. * Owns a FAT cat named Rollo that follows him wherever he goes. Over the course of the game, Rollo becomes the mob boss of a legion of other cats. (Yes, this is serious.) * Ludger is a masterful chef capable of making restaurant quality food on his own Category:JRPG Characters Category:Video Game Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Neutral Good Category:Characters Category:Anti-Heroes Category:Sword Users Category:Namco Category:Mercenaries Category:Hammer Wielders Category:Characters with Alternate Forms Category:Firearms Users Category:Spear Users Category:Weaponized Armor Users Category:Tales